The Darkness Tainting my Mind
by peachystar321
Summary: Link is trying to save Hyrule, but he really doesn't care and decides to question everything. Follow his adventure as he goes through all means of horror all while falling in love


"Link. It is time for you to awaken," came an old geezer's voice. I groaned and ignored the voice, refusing to awaken from my peaceful slumber. "Link. You need to wake up and save Hyrule now that you are old enough to wield the Master Sword."

Irritated, I opened my eyes and looked at the spacious blue hexagonal area around me. "Who are you and what do you want?" I demanded.

"Link. You must go and free the other other sages, each locked within their respective temples," the geezer, with extremely large robes and the worst mustache ever, replied.

"You didn't answer my other question." I huffed.

"I am Rauru, the Sage of Light. Here, have this Medallion of Light. I, also, gave you new clothes while you were sleeping."

Raising a brow, I touched my new clothes and noticed that my ears felt strangely heavy. Reaching up, I felt the two small hoop earrings dangling from my earlobes. "Dude, you gave me piercings."

"Yeah, so?"

"You gave me piercings, without my consent. Just… where are we and how do I get the hell out?"

"You're in The Chamber of Sages."

"Ok? And how do I get out?"

"Through the door directly behind you."

As I turned around, I looked for a good five seconds to realize there was no door. "Quit lying. Where is it?"

"It's there, it just blends in really well with the walls."

As I walked over to the wall, lightly pushing on it, it caved slightly and popped out of its initial spot. "Good luck on your journey, Link." There was a light squeeze on my right buttcheek, but it was gone as quickly as it had happened.

A bright light surrounded me as I walked through the door then finding myself back in the Temple of Time. I looked around then examined the Master Sword in my left hand before placing it in its sheath. As I went to leave, I felt a presence behind me, making me stop in my tracks before turning around to find the owner of the voice.

"Hello, Link: The Hero of Time," a young man, with a cowal covering the lower half his face, greeted me from the side of the sword's pedestal.

"Who are you?" I defensively grabbed the hilt of my sword.

"I am Sheik, the last of the Sheikah Clan. I am here to help lead you in your quest." He introduced himself before pulling out a lyre. "Pull out your ocarina and learn this tune." He instructed before gently plucking the strings with his bandage wrapped fingers. I played the melody after him, feeling a strange source of magic within the notes.

"Good. That was the Prelude of Light. By playing this song, you can warp here at anytime. Go to the Graveyard in Kakariko Village. There, you will find something helpful in your quest." He said as he pulled out a deku nut.

"Wait! I-"

He snapped it down before I could finish my question and I was temporarily blinded. The light cleared within a few mere seconds and he was nowhere to be seen.

"... I guess that my only choice is to leave and free the sages." I let out a heavy sigh and walked out of the room as Navi gently floated out from under my hat.

"Wow, Link! You look so much older and more mature, now!"

"Thanks, Navi," I gave her a small smile as I walked down the main corridor of the Temple of Time.

"I wonder what Hyrule will look like, now that seven years have passed," she circled around my entire body, trying to get a better look.

I gave a simple nod, "I'm curious as well. I hope that nothing too drastic has happened…"

"I bet that nothing too bad hap-" she abruptly stopped talking when I opened the front door. The sky was a depressing maroon colour with grey smokey clouds covering the sky. "Never mind. I think something has gone horribly wrong while we were gone," she said as her bright blue glow turned, instead, to a very pale blue.

"Do you want to go back in time?"

"We're going to have to do this eventually…"

"Alright…" I took a deep breath and stepped outside, closing the door behind me before tasting a sudden blast of foul air. It was like a mixture of smoke and acid; it felt like it was burning my eyes, throat, and lungs. I doubled over, coughing, trying to get the putrid air out of my body. However, no matter how much I coughed, it would only get worse. I crumbled to the ground, still coughing up a storm.

"Hey, Link? Are you okay?" Navi asked, concern prevalent in her voice.

"I'm… fine…" I let out between coughs. I regretted saying that as my body decided that now was the perfect moment to empty out the contents of my stomach. After which, my body wouldn't stop shaking. There were black spots plaguing my vision and voices relentlessly berating my very existence.

"Please stop… that's not true… I didn't abandon you, I didn't kill the Great Deku Tree," my whispering grew into chanting and escalated into deranged screaming and shouting.

"Link!" Navi's voice didn't help. "I have to go get help! Link! Please wait here while I go get help." It was hard to keep myself from flinging myself onto a bush and start cuddling it in hopes that it would comfort me.

It seemed like hours had gone by, but only mere minutes had passed. "Link?" Sheik called out in uncertainty. My chest, still wheezing, and body, still shaking, whipped in his direction. I almost instantaneously relaxed and flung myself onto him, clinging desperately for comfort and letting tears of fear roll down my cheeks."Is something wrong?" he asked, obviously unsure of what was wrong.

"Just… hold me… I'm scared…" I pressed my face into his chest.

"Okay, just this once," he sighed, sitting down and wrapping his arms around me. I felt my body gradually stop shaking and my eyelids begin to droop. It didn't matter where I was, I was safe for now.

I woke up the next morning to find Sheik gone and myself laying on the cold ground. I sat up and felt my stomach rumble. I checked my inventory to see if there was anything that I could possibly eat or drink. My slingshot, shield, deku nuts, and magic beans had all rotted. There was only one thing that hadn't gone bad: the milk. I was, quite honestly, perplexed, but shrugged it off and chugged half of the bottle of milk. I stood to my feet and left the area around the temple and simple stared at the devastated Castle Town, now inhabited by ReDeads. "Great…" I shuddered and face-palmed as I tried to get past all of the ReDeads as quickly as possible.

I almost got all of the way through when there came a horrifying screech, sending chills so bad that I completely froze in place. It wasn't close enough to latch onto me, but it sure as hell was close enough to spot me. Even once I got my movement back, my wouldn't let me move from my spot; the redead got closer. I felt my heart rate accelerate to a critical pace. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and the redead let out another screech. I wanted to scream for help, but my voice wouldn't come out. It climbed onto my back and wrapped its arms and legs around me and the others started to approach me. I finally screamed.

I got out of the town square and left Castle Town and Entered Hyrule Field. I stepped around the broken drawbridge and the muot. I took another deep breath of the, slightly cleaner, air. I, tired and sore, turned towards the Death Mountain region of Hyrule and begun my long, very long, trek towards Kakariko Village.

I was about half-way there and decided to take a break. I sat down on the grass, despite how much my body complained about any and all forms of movement, and drank the last of my milk. I took a good look around Hyrule and noticed that almost everything looked the same. I let out a rather hefty sigh.

"Why was I chosen by the goddess to do this? They could have chosen anyone to go through the… the…" I shuddered, "the unspeakable things that I've been through, but they chose to have a child save an entire kingdom…. I wonder if they understanding exactly how jarring and scarring of an experience this is?"

I pondered my question for a bit, "Probably not, they're goddesses. Afterall, I'd bet that they've been living the good life for so long that they've forgot these types of experiences." I gently pulled my knees up to my chest. "Am I the only one meant to suffer this fate? Am I supposed to be all alone, forever?"

"But Link, I'm here for you!" Navi chimed.

"Once this is done, you'll leave me, right?"

"Link… I wouldn't leave your side unless I'm forced to."

I gave her a small melancholy smile, "Thanks, Navi. I feel so much better now." I didn't feel any better, I actually felt worse than before. I just hoped that something will kill me because I don't have the courage to take my own life.

I stood to my feet and walked the rest of the way there while slightly dragging my feet. It went completely unnoticed by her. As I climbed the staircase to the village, I noticed the sun starting to set over the horizon. I felt utterly exhausted despite the fact that I literally slept for seven years in the Temple of Time, not to mention I had an asthma attack and passed out almost instantly the minute I stepped outside, but I decided that I had to keep going. Walking through the village's main gate, I looked around and saw that nothing had changed except for the archery building near the old well. I walked to the Inn and entered, my stomach growling from lack of substance; or because the milk I drank had actually gone bad.

"Hello, mister. Are you staying the night?" The lady at the front desk flirted.

"Where would you say is the best place to grab a bite to eat?" I casually leaned against the counter.

"I… uh… the tavern…" she was as red as the lava in Death Mountain.

"Thank you." I left the Inn feeling as if I had just unintentionally caused something horrible to happen.

The tavern wasn't very far from the inn. I entered the establishment and sat down at the bar. I looked up at the menu board as the bartender came to stand in front of me. "What can I get for you, lad?"

"I'll take the house speciality and a Château Romani."

"Alrighty, that's going to 135 rupees."

I pulled out my gigantic wallet and visibly blanched when I realized that I didn't have enough rupees. "He's on me." Came a slightly deeper voice to my right. I turned to see a man completely cloaked in black with piercing ruby eyes. The man put down a large amount of rupees on the bar. The bartender left to fulfill our order.

"Thank you, sir."

"It was no problem." He slung his arm over my shoulder. "So what are you doing after this?"

I shifted uncomfortably under his arm and gave. "I'm looking for something."

"What are you looking for?" He leaned in even closer.

"I'm… not exactly sure…"

"How about I help you search for it?" He wiggled his brows a little.

"T-Thanks?"

Our food came out and I quickly dug in, hoping to finish before the other man could, so that I could get away from him.

I finished my meal and noticed that he was waiting for me to finish. "Shall we get going?"

"S-Sure…" I followed him out of the tavern, through the town and to the graveyard.

"It is said that the old grave keeper had an amazing treasure and that if you enter his grave; you will get his treasure, but only if you complete his challenge."

Chills ran down my spine. "And what happens if you don't complete it?"

"No one knows, because no one has ever come back."

I shuddered, "Could you, legitimately, help me out?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I noticed a slight smirk to his covered expression.

"You don't seem like the most trustworthy person!" Navi chimed as she flew out from under my hat and started to repeatedly beat his head that had no effect on him.

The man glared at her. "It seems like Navi doesn't like you and I know that she would raise hell if you came along. I'm sorry."

He looked just about ready to kill the blue fairy slamming against his head. "That's ok, but could you get your fairy to stop attacking me?"

I simply grabbed her and shoved her back under my hat, despite her continuous complaints. "So… which grave is it?"

"The one we're standing directly in front of."

"Oh…" I pulled the gravestone back and hopped inside. I gently landed in a grey stone area. The walls, floor, and even the ceiling were carved stone. In the center was a raised platform of grey blocks and intricately cut columns of stone. There floated Dampé with his lantern and a halo over his head.

He said, "Heh heh heh, young man! Are you fast on your feet? I may not look like it, but I'm confident in my speed! Let's have a race! Follow me if you dare!" The spirit dashed down the first corridor and dropped a red hot flame less than a third of the way.

I carefully dodged out of the way of the flame and continued my chase. He turned right, then left, all while while plopping fire onto the ground. We passed by two podiums with magenta flames resting on top of them. He made another left. Right. Left. Left. Right. We just kept going and going. I felt like we had been going in circles as he made two more rights and a left. We entered a room with stalagmites. Passing in between the two to my right and continuing through a hole in the way, guess what, to the right. Left, right and another set of magenta flames. But this time, something different happened, there was a room with two magenta flames! We went through the center and didn't really. Another right. Another left. At the next left I climbed up a short wall and continued my pursuit. Another right and another left and I was lead into a room with a spiral ramp going up the left side of the wall. I dashed and rolled into the room after Dampé right before the door closed; all in under a minute and ten seconds! I walked up onto the platform, sore and panting, in front of me that had two torches on it.

"Hehehe, young man… You were very quick to be able to keep up with me! Hehehe! As a reward, I'm going to give you my treasure. It's called the Hookshot! Its spring-loaded chain will pull you to any spot where its hook sticks. Doesn't that sound cool? I'm sure it will help you! I live here now, so come back again sometime. I'll give you something cool! One more thing! Be careful on your way back! Heheheh…" He said as he disappeared and a chest appeared in the center of the room.

"I think I need to get a mental health check-up once this whole ordeal is done and over with… I don't think that anyone in their right mind could imagine chasing a dead gravekeeper who is simultaneously throwing fire in their face..." I mumbled as I pulled the hookshot out of the chest and shoved it inside my magic adventuring pouch. I went to exit through the area in front of me.

"Hey! Link!" Navi said as she flew out of my cap and started to glow green in front of the block, "I think that you need to play the Song of Time in order to get rid of this block."

I was too tired to even bother arguing with her and just did as she said. I pulled out my ocarina and played the Song of Time. The block disappeared… how surprising…. I walked up the miniwall and up the flight of stairs. I entered the windmill and the annoying music grated against my ears. I hopped down from the level I was on and walked out, slamming the door behind me. I walked into the inn, got a room, entered the room, dropped my gear beside the bed, flopped (more like face-planted half-way) onto the bed, and fell asleep.


End file.
